Marine buoys are manufactured from a broad selection of materials, in sizes and shapes appropriate to the application. Buoys encountering highly active seas tend to be of large and sturdy construction. They are generally configured to provide long range visibility and to survive the tremendous static and dynamic forces impressed upon them in open sea and inclement weather. Large, deep-water buoys of composite or plastic materials will typically have framed constructions designed to house floatable materials, with the frames designed to withstand severe environmental conditions. These frameworks are usually extremely heavy, of metal construction, and can be expensive to produce because of concern for the forces acting upon them in deep water and in a corrosive environment.
On the other hand, in more sheltered locations, buoys tend to be smaller, requiring less visual range, and having somewhat less robust construction. Unlike large buoys, small buoys are commonly constructed of lightweight materials, such as foamed materials encapsulated within a solid, or high-density plastic skin. These smaller buoys will typically have a mooring eye embedded either directly within the plastic skin or attached to a single rod element that passes through the buoy body. The mooring eye is typically attached to one end of the buoy. Use of such lightweight materials and construction methodologies is particularly advantageous because of low costs, low weights, transportability and buoyancy.
Unfortunately, in larger buoy applications, use of the above described designs and lightweight materials can result in premature failure of a buoy. This failure is often due not only to the proportionally larger acting forces placed upon the buoy, but also to the inability of a single rod element configuration to effectively distribute the forces and lateral stresses commonly encountered in more severe marine environments.
Accordingly, there is a need for a large marine buoy that can be made from one or more lightweight materials, as are typically found in smaller buoys, but that can still effectively handle and distribute the forces placed upon the large buoy design in more severe marine environments. Further, there is a need for a comparatively large marine buoy for use in severe marine environment that can be produced efficiently at moderate cost.